Nudes nominee

The "spark" for this set was actually from a song lyric accompanied its choreography, coming from the song called "Light A Flame" by Seventeen, a K-Pop band. The lyric went "Light a flame in your heart" as the members graciously moved their arms above their head, all while the stage lights created a silhouette out of their movement, making them seem like candles flickering. It ignited an urge in me to create something in the same vein as a human candle. It resonated more with me as a state of creativity. From fiery passion, to burnout. I opted for using pearls to simulate the melted wax; the "beads" of wax that is formed as the wax solidified as it trails down the length of the candle. My lovely model Jo helped me glue the pearls together in order to create the shoulder pieces, after I set up the light and backdrop in my living room. Each shot demonstrated a different state of a candle, from being unlit, to burning ever so brightly, and finally, all burnt out, with what's left is a merely pool of wax.

Tina/ Gia Nghi, is a Vietnamese portrait photographer with a passion for fine art photography. She began her photo career in the cosplay scene in the DC metro area (see IG account @tnguyenphotos for her cosplay works). She is now pursuing higher education at George Mason University in Korea, majoring in Business with a concentration in Management and Marketing.